Ish-veh Ur'kif Tel-tor (That one accidental Bond)
by Omosirem
Summary: What happens when a telepathic bond cannot be established during a Vulcan tel-tor ceremony? Meet Emma, a telepath who joins the crew of the Enterprise. Spock/Uhura Spock/OC Is set AU, the majority of the story happens after Into Darkness. Khan in the future? Oh. AND a softer Sarek, because he is a favorite.
1. Emma's First Day

I am honoured that you, dear reader, have decided to read the first chapter of my story. I must admit that I am very excited to publish this, as I have been mulling over for the past week, the finer points of this plot. I tried to thoroughly research the information provided here. The majority of it is my imagination elaborating on Star Trek topics. I must mention that I own nothing of the vast and wonderful Star Trek verse, which I admire greatly. I do hope that you find this chapter to be informative, as well as entertaining.

Star Date 2256.248

Emma woke to the feeling of her hair softly falling over her face from the summer breeze stealing through her window. Disliking the ticklish feeling she rolled on to her stomach to rub her face into her pillow. Cracking open one light brown eye she searched for the alarm clock to her right on her bedside table. It read 07:24; six minutes until she was supposed to get up and three hours before she would have to board her shuttle. Deciding to rest for a moment longer Emma shuffled beneath her blankets down the bed to stretch her arms above her head. The breeze that woke her stirred her buttercup yellow gingham curtains and caused papers to ruffle softly on her desk below the window. Looking up to the sloped ceiling of her attic bedroom she felt that she might almost miss the familiar surroundings once she was gone; wooden whitewashed walls and floor, her small desk and large overstuffed bookshelf. While it was quite archaic to collect books in the 23rd century Emma enjoyed the smell and rough feeling of the paper under her fingers; a more sensual experience compared to simply collecting files on a PADD. Her alarm sounded.

"Alarm off." Her voice was still hoarse from sleep. Clearing her throat she threw her covers off and bounced to the edge of the bed. She snatched up a band from her side table and bound her hair up into a light bun. Dressing in jean shorts and a tank top, as she walked from her bedroom to go downstairs her hand brushed the fabric of her new cadet uniform hung on her wall, as if to make sure it was still really there.

Someone was moving about the kitchen, she could sense them from the attic landing. The old farm house was fairly small and oddly built. Additions had been haphazardly included, which led to awkward hallways and crooked steps. Her parent's house had been in her family for generations and each successive family to live in it thought that they would improve on it. Emma felt that the house had character, even though some of the retrofitting for new technology didn't quite work all of the time.

"Computer lights." Nothing. "Damn it." She growled, she could just make out at the bottom of the flight of stairs some daylight beneath the door. Emma slapped her hand against the panel to her left and the rickety stairs below her flooded with light. She could never be sure when the twins would decide it was a good idea to leave toys on her stairs, and had learned quickly after they had begun walking that traversing to the main floor from her room without the stairwell lights on was like trying to cross a minefield blindfolded. By the time she had reached the door at the bottom she had a handful of small assorted toys.

"Good morning dear." Her mother called from the kitchen around the corner when Emma opened her bedroom door to the main floor.

"Morning Mum, be right there." Dropping her cargo in the toy bin she walked into the kitchen to see a fully cooked breakfast and a small package on the table.

"That is for you." Her mother smiled shyly. She had pancake flour on her pyjama pants. "I picked it up yesterday, I know we didn't manage to get you a graduation gift in June, but I am more proud of you for getting accepted to Starfleet anyway." Her mother crossed the kitchen and pulled her into a tight hug. "I sure am going to miss you."

"Oh Mum, San Francisco is only an hour away by shuttle. I am much closer to home than most other cadets." She pulled back and smiled at her mother who looked like she was about to tear up. Wiping a smudge of flour from her mother's forehead with the side of her wrist, Emma cracked a grin. "You know, you could have just replicated breakfast. Or have you done that and smudged flour on your face to make it look like you have cooked? Hmm?"

Her mother threw up her hands in feigned exasperation, shaking her head but also smiling she moved back to the stove while Emma sat at the table to open her gift. Inside the jewellery box she found a necklace with a small pendant the size of her index fingernail. It was white metal and had a picture of a man with a walking stick carrying a child on his back.

"St. Christopher, my grandmother gave me one of these when I joined Starfleet as well. It is supposed to bring good luck to travellers, intergalactic or otherwise." Her mother smiled softly as she reached to clasp the necklace around Emma's neck. "It looks lovely on you. You remind me so much of myself at your age." Looking up Emma noticed the lines forming at the corners of her mother's eyes and mouth and the gray that was in her mothers brown hair; she hoped she would be fortunate enough to age as gracefully. Holding out her hand palm up as an offering, she closed her eyes and waited for her mother to place her hand there. Though she hesitated briefly, soon Emma felt warm pressure on her palm.

_Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me mum. _Emma channelled feelings of warmth, love, and gratitude through their mind link. She could feel her mothers love and pride in return. Emma thought of going to Starfleet and showed her mother how excited and nervous she was to be going.

_It won't be as bad at Starfleet. There will be others like you. I know growing up here was hard, but your special and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. _Her mother projected to Emma her own emotions that she felt as she left for Starfleet. _I am so proud of you baby, your father would be too. _A soft rolling sadness and melancholy rolled off of her mother.

_I know. _Images flickered between them of her father. Handsome in his red uniform coming home. Turning to wave before getting on to a shuttle. Falling asleep on the couch. Smiling over a pancake breakfast not dissimilar to what was on the kitchen table now in front of Emma. Lastly, young and handsome, smiling broadly while passing by on a starship; that memory must have been her mothers. Emma squeezed her mother's hand.

"Ugh. I thought I asked you two not to do that near me." Disgust rolled off of Ralph as he strode into the kitchen. Snatching her hand away quickly and breaking the bond with her mother Emma tried to collect her thoughts. Having an open connection didn't provide any time to throw up her shields before Ralphs thoughts became apparent; _the sooner the freak leaves the better for our family. _At that, her mind-shields slammed effectively into place. Emma felt the quiet and loving atmosphere that had enveloped her moments before beginning to ebb away.

"Good morning to you too. Ralph that was rude." Her mother admonished him while moving back to the stove, kissing his cheek in passing.

"Sorry Ceilia, but it's… hard to get used to. Even after twelve years." He grumbled as he walked to the coffee maker. "So, today's the day, huh. Are you excited?" Ralph asked her dispassionately as he leaned back against the kitchen counter drinking his coffee.

"Very." Emma answered quietly, ashamed and angry about what Ralph had thought moments before. "There might even be 'freaks' like me there." Ralph stood stock-still as his face turned a dangerous shade of red. He did not acknowledge the comment, unwilling to confess his thoughts in front of her mother. Emma could see his frustration rolling off in palpable waves. As tempted as she was to open up her shield and yell _BOO! _inside Ralph's head at this moment she knew she could not. Force opening a mind was against her ethical code of telepathic conduct. The thought of Ralph spilling his coffee from surprise cheered her though, enough for her to begin eating her breakfast while she rubbed the small medallion her mother had given her between the index finger and thumb of her left hand.

"Now Emma, that's no way to talk about your gift. There are plenty of humanoids like you, and I can guarantee you will find some at Starfleet. It's just this hick town that's full of freaks, deciding not to evolve. I know you've seen the Cro-Magnon shuffling about here." Ceilia giggled as she thumbed over her shoulder in Ralph's general direction. "You will see." Her mother making fun of Ralph always put her in a better mood.

The rest of the morning passed quickly with some last minute indecisive packing. Emma found it hard to part with her book collection and couldn't decide which of her old friends was worthy of the trip. Her fingers lingered on the long ago cracked spines, caressing the fractured edges. She double and triple checked that she had her flight clearance passes and her personal PADD, some civilian clothes and toiletries, as well as the three Starfleet issue uniforms she had received upon completion of the Starfleet Academy Prep Program; one of which she was currently wearing.

Emma began to tire from walking around her bedroom frantically in small circles. She did not have any friends to leave parting words of promised connection; at school she had been ostracised for her telepathy from a young age. Flopping down on her bed she dramatically flung an arm across her eyes, shutting out the daylight of her room. Her foot tapped impatiently on the floor for a moment before she abruptly sprung up from her bed and almost sprinted to reach the front door. Once outside she felt calmer in the open air. Moving behind the house she meandered amongst the gardens in the back that were filled with once extraterrestrial, now familiar plants.

Ceilia had been enlisted a science division personnel in the xenobiology department as a botanist. However, upon becoming pregnant with Emma she left her post to return to Earth as the Starfleet was not accommodating to families at that time. On Earth, she continued working with what she was passionate about. As a genetic engineer for companies looking to alter the genomes of plants that would be sent to different colonies in space for propagation. Emma had grown up in labs cleaning Petri dishes wistfully dreaming about being the person to first discover a new plant life form. She hungered for years to begin her own adventure discovering plant life on unexplored planets and leave the backwater town that rejected her.

At precisely 10:30 the shuttle to her new life left Seattle. Her duffle was loaded in the cargo and she waved one last goodbye from the passenger loading door. The twins were crying along with her mother, and Ralph gave a brief nod before putting his arms out to steer them back to the vehicle to return home. Emma returned to her seat and shrugged the harness over her shoulders. She tugged the hem of her skirt down, wondering how long it would take for her to become comfortable with the uniform. Flight attendants began to make a final round before liftoff, discussing safety protocol but Emma was already introspective thinking about her arrival. The shuttle craft shuddered to life, her seat shaking subtly; as its thrusters pushed off from the ground.

Arrival in San Francisco came much faster than Emma had expected. As the shuttle neared its docking station her blood pressure began to climb along with her heart rate. The organ stuttered in her chest as she tried to control her breathing and not seem like a total geek for being so excited to attend StarfleetAcademy. If she would have dropped her shields, she would have realized that the emotional turmoil that was currently wreaking havoc on her composure was being mirrored in every other first year cadet upon the ship, though they hid their emotions from each other. As it were, she was struggling to keep them up so that her emotions would not leak into the others and embarrass her. Her hands were curled into fists on her lap as she watched from the corner of her eye as the ground rose to meet the shuttle. Sitting in the middle row offered a poor view of the Academy and Emma couldn't wait to get off of the ship to see her new home; even if it was only the shuttle landing bay.

Shuffling off of the craft seemed to take forever and by the time Emma's turn to depart came her legs felt unsteady and she stood up too abruptly causing her to need to take a moment to steady herself. The flight attendant smiled at her knowingly, Emma blushed and dropped her head while scooting off as fast as possible hoping no one else had noticed her poise slip. This thought fell from her mind abruptly as she stepped from the carrier and into the bay.

The enormity of the building astounded her. Shuttles came and went through either end of the open hangar flying close to the ceiling meters above her, their movement causing turbulence in the air which flung her hair in multiple directions simultaneously. Members of Starfleet strode purposefully in various directions looking extremely official reading and tapping on PADD's or talking into communicators. A sea of red cadet uniforms lined a broad central pathway with groups occasionally trailing by, following an officer. Red, blue, and gold shirts displaying different rank insignia were approaching the disembarking cadets ready to shepherd them to their new quarters in a most efficient manner. Second, third, and fourth years grouped up with ease to discuss their summers, making painfully obvious who the unsure first years were. Overwhelmed with the new experiences, Emma didn't notice her duffle being flung at her until it was a moment too late. Awkwardly catching the bag in the gut, she teetered to the left before a strong steady hand stopped her. The hand on her shoulder was decidedly male, and connected to a blue shirt with two silver bands around the base of the sleeve. Unsure of how to proceed with her actions and disliking being touched unexpectedly, Emma stepped away quickly and half turned to thank the man who had stopped her fall.

"Um, thanks." She offered clumsily, the word tumbled from her mouth too quickly. As she looked up she noticed that he was not, in fact, human; and her eyes widened minutely. A quick scan of his face revealed his eyes to be dark brown and framed by black hair. The pinna of his ears and his eyebrows were gracefully pointed upward and his skin had a greenish cast to it which made Emma wonder briefly if he were about to be sick. Being from the country she was unaccustomed to seeing other humanoid life forms in person and it took her a moment to realize that she was being rude by staring. Averting her eyes she blushed slightly before realizing that the Vulcan had not yet acknowledged her gratitude. He was looking at her intensely and she wondered for a moment if he could not speak English as his face remained impassive to her speaking. Slowly she became aware of tendrils of thought brushing against her own consciousness. Her eyebrows pulled into a frown.

"Cadet Wesson!" Someone called to her right. Her eyes broke away from the male in front of her as her head snapped toward the sound. A woman stood at the fore of the group with a PADD read her name off from a list.

"Present!" Her hand shot into the air to draw attention to herself. Standing on the fringe of the group in the back, her short stature did nothing to make her apparent within the large group of red as she pushed her way to the front.

"Follow me please." The woman's clipped and clinical tones did nothing to ease her tension. It felt awkward to be the only person departing from the group, but Emma fell into step behind the officer and shouldered her duffel soundlessly. She wondered where she was being led to and looked back briefly to see that all of the other cadets were staring at her, probably wondering the exact same thing. Though she could have found out if she had wanted to by lowering her shields and reading the mind of the woman in front of her, she felt it would be rude. Just as she walked from the hangar door Emma noted that the male who had stopped her fall was now at the front of the group, reading off regulations to her shuttle members.

As impressed as she was with the shuttle hangar, it paled in comparison to her awe of the campus as it unfurled before her. Wide white bricked pathways wound through lush green lawns that were immaculately cut; black stately lampposts stood sentinel along the pathways at regular intervals. In the distance buildings larger than the likes she had seen before seemed to stretch high into the sky where she noted that flight vehicles were lazily moving between the skyscrapers along the airlanes moving along with their business efficiently just as the stream of people below were doing. She counted five of the huge buildings as being within the boundaries of the campus and wondered what future she would find within each of them. "Cadet, please try to keep up. I have a tight schedule today and you need to get to Starfleet medical before my next group arrives at the hangar." Emma hadn't realized that she had stopped to stare at the panorama in front of her.

"Sorry! I didn't realize I'd stopped…" She squeaked in reply. The woman in front of her smiled and Emma's shoulders dropped in relief at someone being friendly toward her.

"Ensign Newman." The woman held out a hand. "Laura Newman." After a brief shake the two women continued onward. "Since your not getting the official newbie tour I'll give you a brief one now." Newman flashed a winning smile that she shyly returned. "Now, as I am sure you have noticed we just came from the highest point on campus, which was the docking hangar, where Starfleet receives all shuttle and magtrain arrivals." At the confused look on Emma's face Laura elaborated. "The magtrain takes students too and from campus into San Fran." Newman gestured grandly with a wave of her hand to the city beyond campus. "The platform for the magtrain is at the far end of the hangar. Campus extends along Doyle Drive, hugging the bay that you'll notice to the left. If you take the magtrain it follows the drive to downtown. Behind us is the famous bridge, it's not much special as a feat of engineering now-a-days, but a lot of tourists still come to view it. Old habits die hard I suppose." The two women were walking along the central and broadest path on campus.

"This path is the aorta of the campus. A big loop, it stretches the ten miles that the campus covers; right from the docking hangar we just left to the parking lot that most staff and some students make use of on the other end. A lot of campus dwellers use it as a jogging path. Speaking of being active, the first building on your left by the bay is the recreation facility. It houses three pools, five rec' decks with equipment for any sport played in the galaxy available, one shooting range, and one large exercise center. Any combat training that you will receive will take place in there. Immediately across from the rec' center to your right is the staff dormitory. As I mentioned before, some of the staff, myself included, live on campus. Beside the staff dorms is the lecture hall. All classes and labs take place in that building, with the exception of some engineering labs, which obviously happen in the hangar where the shuttles are." Ensign Newman stopped talking for a moment so that Emma could cement into her memory the three buildings that they had just passed.

The buildings all sported similar stonework in the shade of off-white that the path they walked on. Only the recreation facility and the lecture hall sported huge lettering on the outside of their structures announcing what to find inside. The rec' center had six levels, where as the lecture hall stretched what Emma guessed to be a towering fifteen; effectively dwarfing the rec' center. The groups of people who passed by drew some of Emma's attention. Humanoids of various colours, shapes, and sizes followed, joined, or departed from the path navigating to and from the various buildings. Though she had studied interstellar history and anthropology in high school, it was another thing to be confronted with so many other species in real life.

"I had no idea it would be… this massive and intimidating." Emma murmured half to herself, half to Ensign Newman.

"It'll only take a few days to adjust before you get the hang of everything. By your third year you'll laugh thinking back to your feelings now." A moment of silence passed as they finally made it out from the shadow of the two buildings and could see the last three that comprised the remainder of campus. "Right here beside the lecture hall is the Starfleet Medical building. It's where I work and you are going right now." Newman's eyes shone and it was apparent she was proud of her place of work. "The last two buildings on the left are Archer Hall at the end there closest to the parking lot. The mess is located on the bottom floor. The second floor is the amphitheatre where we meet in forum, and everything else above it belongs to the higher ranking officers for offices. The remaining building between Archer Hall and the rec' center is the student dorms; where you will be staying. Before that, though, I have to report with you at the med center. Something on your file was flagged and they want to look you over before you register for your room assignment."

Seeing Emma's apprehensive look, Ensign Newman slapped her on the shoulder lightly. "It's probably nothing! You're probably missing some sort of vaccination and they need to hypo you before you move in. There are so many different species living in there, and it's important to stay up on your vaccines because everyone lives in such close quarters." Newman passed a hand over her face at the words 'close quarters'. "I hope for your sake that you don't end up with anyone too…different. I had an Andorian roommate my first year, lovely guy, but walked around our room every where naked complaining of the heat." She shuddered at the memory as they passed into the building. Looking at her PADD she walked over to the elevator.

"I hope he was at least good looking." Emma smiled, trying to picture a nude blue posterior, and Newman chuckled. The front of the building had light streaming in from the noonday sun outside. Floor to ceiling windows created an open, airy feel to the grandiose foyer. Hallways branched off in various directions from the entrance to arrive at the many different medical departments that the building housed.

"Well, all Starfleet personnel are required to stay physically fit for duty." She smiled roguishly at Emma. "Looks like you are headed to the eighth floor from here. Use the elevator to access the floor, there will be a desk as soon as you arrive. Report to it and the nurse there will direct you further. I'm sure we'll bump into one another again, campus might seem huge now but it's really a pretty small community. Good luck!"

Ensign Newman glanced at her watch as she dissolved into the crowd, picking up pace once she had noted the time. The woman had left Emma with a lot of things to consider before the end of the day. She reshouldered her duffel and entered the elevator after its contents departed to continue their business elsewhere on campus. Pressing floor eight she stood back as the doors closed. It reopened again later to admit two cadets.

"Hello, gorgeous." The blondes face split into a charming grin upon seeing her standing near the back. Striding confidently into the elevator he looked like he was going to say something mischievous before the other man with him jabbed a hypospray to his neck, effectively ending sentence before it began and wiping the smile off of his face. "Damn it, Bones! That's the third one today!" The charming blonde rubbed his neck where the hypo was injected. Emma had to stifle a giggle at the exchange.

"Well you're overdue. You've got five more coming today before I let you even come close to prowling the dorms tonight. Wait'll you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles. Don't come crawling back to me then when you're eyeballs are bleeding!" The surly, dark haired man groundout with a thick Kentucky accent as he turned to light the seventh floor. "Quit being such a baby Jim. I'm doing you a favour. No ones gonna look twice at you if you end up with a case of Cygnian flu and your…" The man looked sidelong at Emma, seeming to notice her for the first time, thinking about his next words. "Falls off." He finished under his breath.

"You call this a favour." The blonde rubbed his neck wincing.

"Yea, you owe me one." He added after a moments thought, "Make that eight."

The lift stopped and the two men departed. The blonde did manage to sneak in one more wink and grin to Emma before he moved to get off. Rolling his eyes and following his friend, the medic cadet pulled another hypospray cartridge and loaded it. A determined look crossed his face before he nodded at Emma also and left the lift. Just as the door closed she heard the telltale noise of a deployed hypospray and an indignant grunt. The elevator doors soon opened to a small round waiting room. A nurse sat behind the desk filling in paper work, ready to accept and direct incoming patients. His name plaque read: Tavil Zel; and the visible part of his skin had the informative spots, travelling down the side of his face and neck, which indicated that he was a Trill.

"Cadet Emma Wesson reporting."

"Cadet Wesson." the Trill glanced up from his work acknowledging her. "Wesson. Wesson. Wesson." He muttered to himself. "Ah ha, here it is. Hmm… interesting. You must be pretty important missy. New recruits usually don't get a first date with Dr. Hander. It takes a pretty important reference to get a viewing with one of the leading neuroscientists of the decade." He looked at her expectantly, and she was unsure if she was supposed to elaborate on his musing. Due to the delicate nature of her neurology, Emma chose to remain silent. "Well, in any case, please take a seat and I'll get Dr. Hander."

Emma had almost sat down when the doctor returned immediately to the office with Tavil Zel. She noticed immediately how attractive she found his face to be, even if though it were devoid of all hair, which suited him quite well. He stood at an average height, which meant he still towered over Emma, and had remarkably symmetrical features. Taking her hand into his he shook it forcefully in his excitement, which Emma was startled to notice that she felt with more clarity than she had ever encountered before with her telepathy.

_Pleased to meet you! Very pleased indeed! I've been waiting for your arrival quite impatiently since the day you finished your pre-training courses! One of the medical staff there, dear that she is, thought it prudent to send along your file immediately to my office. I bought her a nice 20__th__ century bottle of wine for that stroke of genius! _The doctor was still pumping her hand vigorously and it took a moment for Emma to note that she had not just been clearly listening to the doctor audibly, but telepathically. Jumping back a little bit she snatched her hand away from the doctor, surprised. Her eyes narrowed.

_How did you know I am telepathic? _Emma searched the face of the man, unsure if he were also telepathic or simply projecting very strongly to her. She had never met and conversed with another telepath before.

_To answer your question; because I also am. _Dr. Hander smiled. _Telepaths can train themselves to detect others by recognizing patterns of disturbances in the psionic field. In short, every telepathic being has a distinct psi signature, which alerts other entities to determine possibility of telepathic communication. I am a Deltan, one of the telepathic races from our Alpha Quadrant. _

_I've learned a little about the psionic field from my AP biology classes in high school. Well, and it has always been a special interest of mine, for obvious reasons. But I've never had the opportunity to really study it closely before. I can't believe this is happening; I've always wanted to have someone to converse with telepathically. I've always been shunned and looked down upon for my ability. The only one who will really talk to me through a link is my mother. And the twins of course, but they might think I'm weird later too. _At her excitement of being able to telepathically converse with another being Emma began rambling. She felt waves of comfort, peace, and excited interest coming from the doctor; with an under current of sexual attraction. Her mind flew instantly to what she had learned about Deltans from her interstellar anthropology class. _Deltan… largely resemble humans, more symmetry, telepathic and empathic…and… OH MY GOD! Why am I not affected by your pheromones? _Dr. Hander winced at her telepathic shouting. _Sorry. _Emma added sheepishly.

_How do you know you're not? _He winked at her and laughed as her eyes widened. _Sorry! Sorry! Running joke of mine. Everyone gets it once they've asked that question. _Dr. Hander sighed. _All Deltans have to swear an oath of celibacy upon seeking entrance to serve in Starfleet. Quite a shame if you ask me. _Disgruntled and frustrated waves of emotion his Emma and she smiled. _We have developed and are currently using quite effectively a hormone suppressant. I am sorry to hear that you were not accepted for your gift. I assure you, here at Starfleet it is less of an irregularity, and looked at favourably. You, my dear, are indeed quite special. Let's take this discussion from the waiting room and into my office though. _This time when Dr. Hander reached towards Emma she let him grasp her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm as he turned to the hallway behind the admittance desk where the Trill sat, returned to his work. Entering his office Emma noted a plethora of PADDs and even old fashioned papers strewn about.

_Haven't cleaned in ages, sorry dear. _Emma felt embarrassed for not having shielded her thoughts. Dr. Hander led her to a seat beside a table filled with various important looking medical devices. He sat across from her beside the table. _You can shield? Would you mind performing a quick demonstration? _Throwing up her shields immediately, she could feel Dr. Hander looking for a hole or break through which he could slip in. She could feel his thoughts trying to access hers, almost like in the hangar earlier today. Tendrils of thought light as feathers running over her brain.

"Interesting. You are performing quite well. I have a few preliminary tests which I have to run for medical file records. And after that a few more things to discuss and you will be free to go today for registration and orientation. Your ability will be kept classified, with medical personnel only with the rank commander and about having access to the information. Whomever else you choose to discuss your ability with will be at your discretion." Emma started at the end of his speech, realizing it was the first time she heard his voice though they had conversed for close to half an hour. Dr. Hander smiled warmly at her again before he reached to his side to pick up a small metal circlet with a wireless transmitter attached. He placed it over her head.

"Um, do I have to do anything?" Emma asked nervously; wondering if his excitement would fall if she failed the test.

_You won't fail. _

_Oh. Ok. _Thought Emma relived. The circlet began to create a buzzing around her head.

"This is standard procedure, all Starfleet personnel are required to have their Esper rating measured at least once during service. It rates your psionic potential. Yours… is remarkable. At a rating of 103, I've only seen numbers that high in species that have been practicing telepathy for centuries as a people. My number, in fact, is only a paltry 101 in comparison to yours. And I am considered quite capable!" Dr. Hander leaned over the PADD which held her file and quickly typed in some information a large smile on his face. Emma was unsure of whether she should be proud or afraid at this revelation. _You should always be proud. _Sending him feelings of thankfulness empathically she hoped to have gotten her message across more poignantly. Dr. Hander turned back quickly removing the circlet and placing instead a large silver cuff over her wrist.

"What is this one for?" She held up her wrist examining the device while he monitored the same screen as previously.

"Duke-Heidelburg quotient. Your potential for extrasensory perception. Feeling psionic disturbances and empathy. Again, remarkable. 314. Wow." Turning again to enter some data Emma removed the cuff on her own this time feeling self-conscious. "Lastly, Aperception quotient. Hold this please in your right hand." He passed her a small metal ball. "And lift your left foot…" He bent to place a flat nondescript metal pad on the floor under her foot. "Try not to think at all just for a moment…" Tapping a few places on the PADD beside him, and then on the computer, Dr. Hander turned to look at her. "Thank you for your cooperation Emma. This has been a most remarkable discovery. Your AQ is also extraordinary, at 20/115." He shook his head slowly. "If you were raised on any other planet, or had your natural ability been discovered sooner, I can assure you that you would have been quite pampered. If you ever visit Delta IV, make sure to arrive already married or else males may fight for you."

Emma thought of her past being called names and having to feel the disgust of others who recognized her for what she was. Tears began to form in her eyes upon the acceptance she was being shown over the brief time she had been at StarfleetAcademy. It almost didn't seem fair that she had to go through the first part of her life to arrive finally where she could be accepted, even admired.

He smiled sadly at her, sympathizing with her past. "All of this," he motioned to the record beside him, "is confidential. As I previously mentioned. Now, we have medication that I am obligated by Starfleet to ensure that you will take before any exam or test you will write. I think that it goes without saying why this is. You can have as much medication as you would like, but taking it too often will result in headaches. So, try to keep it to a minimum. I'll give you this bottle today." He handed her a bottle with small yellow capsules in it. "And come back to me whenever you need more." He reached out to hold her other hand. "I promise you, that you have nothing to fear here. Your ability, while substantially stronger than most, is not as rare as you might think. It is only a rare ability to be found in humans. We have various intergalactic species attending school here that have telepathic abilities. Maybe you should try getting to know them more intimately." Dr. Hander winked at her devilishly, thinking of his own personal expoits before Starfleet. Her eyes began to slowly overflow with the knowledge. Somewhat embarrassed she quickly wiped away the tears.

_Can I take one now? _Emma didn't have the voice to speak or the will to look up.

_Sure, you might not like it though. It does have a very distinct dampening sensation. The stronger the ability the more it feels like you have a wet towel over your head. Best to try it at least once before you write your first tests though, even study under the influence of it. _

She opened the bottle with shaky hands and a couple of pills fell out before she finally got one in the palm of her hand. Her tears had stopped, and she looked up. "Um, could I get a glass of water please?" Dr. Hander stood up and retrieved a small paper cup full of water from the sink. She rolled the yellow pill around in the palm of her hand noticing lettering along one side. EAT ME. She smirked.

_I am glad that you appreciate the joke. _Dr. Hander projected as he handed her the water. _Well, best way to get down the rabbit hole is to get it over with. _Emma tossed back the pill and water in one gulp.

_I don't feel… _Her link cut. At first she was extremely scared, something she never thought she would feel at losing her telepathic ability. Eventually though, her thoughts calmed. "Can you hear my thoughts?" She asked slowly. It did feel like she had a mountain of wet towels over her head.

"No, not at all. When I manufactured the delivery sequence of the molecule structure, I thought it would be terribly unfair to allow people to see in. Thus, it is like you have an iron curtain over your thoughts and feelings, until of course the effect of the drug wears off. It lasts for approximately twelve hours. It can differ based on psionic ability and metabolism though, you will have to monitor yourself and report back to me. Any telepath that comes across you will simply assume that you are a naturally capable shielder." Dr. Hander said with a shrug. Turning back to her file he remarked: "I see you also have a few vaccinations to get updated. If you go to level two, they can take care of that quickly for you." He smiled looking up. "It truly has been a great pleasure to get to meet you. If you are willing, I would like to stay in contact. It is not everyday one comes across a telepath of your ability. Feel free to come visit my office anytime." His warm hand enveloped her own, and Emma felt for once no need to tense at another persons touch; her mind totally at ease with being in the presence of another. It was more relieving and relaxing than she ever could have imagined. It must have shown on her face because Dr. Hander smiled while pressing a hand to her lower back to show her out.

"Thank you again Dr. Hander. The pleasure is all mine. You can't imagine the relaxation I feel right now. Well, maybe you can. Thanks again." Emma waved as she walked down the corridor to the elevator. Armed with her new suppressants and a knowledge of campus, she felt significantly changed from the woman she arrived as on campus a short few hours ago.

Exiting the Starfleet medical building at precisely 13:32 hours, Emma Wesson did not notice the gaze of the commander who had aided her earlier in the hangar. If she **hadn't** been under the influence of the psionically restrictive drug, or if she **had** been looking to her right down the path instead of left to the student dorms, this story might have turned out differently. As it stands, fate had her performing neither of these actions, though she should have been. Thus, the commander wrote off the earlier anomaly of detecting a change in the psionic field around the woman as him experiencing a stronger than usual delusion from a severe lack of sleep. This was to be his first year teaching his own course material at the academy, not merely assisting another professor, and he was putting in an astounding amount of effort to creating the most deliverable, aesthetically pleasing, and logical course that the Academy had ever seen; an introductory course. Interspecies Ethics 101.


	2. Working for a Denebian Slime Devil

Hello dear readers,

I am extremely grateful to have gotten such a warm response to my first chapter. I hope that you all have enjoyed it. I received a message about the quality and content being perhaps (?) a bit inappropriate for the T-rating. Therefore I am switching it to an **M-RATING**. I do love to tease my readers, so expect a lot of frustration, unfulfilled desires, and innuendo, but in a classy and respectable sort of way. If you have any problems or praise, as always, I would love to hear from you, dear reader. I hope that you will continue to enjoy my work.

Star Date 2256.230

06:50

3rd Floor Anderson Lecture Hall, Starfleet Academy

Emma's feet were carrying her quickly as she made her way to the classroom where her day's first lecture took place. Her boots clicked smartly along the tiled corridor. The hallway lamps were only dimly lit as the buildings external enviro monitors reacted to the suns rays just beginning to reach over the horizon. Though it was winter time in San Francisco the mandatory cadet uniform did not change at Starfleet Academy. Just last week, Emma went shopping for a new coat and her day had successfully been commandeered by a rowdy group of her new friends. The one-shop-stop coat mission, turned into a shopping spree aimed at rectifying Emma's lack of, in Galia's terms, 'necessary come-sex-me underwear'; a set of which Emma happened to be wearing right now. She had made fast friends with many of the cadets on campus after her first day; none of them had thought she was a freak or weird. Some of them even came on to her excessively strongly, and she wondered about whether Dr. Hander was joking when he commented about how 'in demand' she would be. Emma had not yet told any of her friends about her ability as she was still testing the waters.

Campus life had been somewhat disrupted over the last couple of days due to the guests on campus attending the Interstellar Academic Cadet Convention that was taking place at Starfleet Academy this year. Even as she walked along the wide hallway this morning to her classroom she encountered considerably more individuals loitering in the halls than she would have before the IACC. Three of the rec' rooms on campus had been turned into convention centers where booths promoting different occupations available for cadets after graduation from Starfleet or any other Federation accepted secondary education program were accepting resumes and applications. The IACC ran for a week from 09:00 hours until the mess opened for dinner at 17:00 hours. The campus was buzzing with activity and Emma found herself enjoying the ebb and flow of excitement that she could feel swirling around the fourth year cadets at the prospect of the interviews they were arranging and the positions they were securing for after graduation.

"Good morning Emma!" Uhura waved at her from in front of her classroom door.

"Moring to you too." Emma beamed as she stepped up to her friend who was punching in the code to unlock the door. "Here let me help." She stood into the room and held the door open for Uhura to push through her PADD cart. The cart had Interspecies Ethics 101 flashing across its identification screen. It was stuffed to overflowing with the term papers that were due before New Year break. "What are you doing here this morning?"

"Ugh. Well you know Galia." She threw up her hands in frustration as she stalked toward the cart to begin handing out the PADDs. "Last night we had our final semester meeting for the Chorale Ensemble and the group decided to go out for drinks after to the Anza Vista, you know that trendy new place downtown that has student Wednsdays?" Emma nodded an affirmative. "Well, the place was packed! For a Monday. We ran into some students boarding on campus for the IACC. Well, Kirk and Galia ended up hooking up with another Andorian. I have NO IDEA whose room they ended up in because I was SO grossed out over their sexually loaded talk about Andorian mating culture that I left early. It was such a turnoff to sit and listen to them talk about who was going to play the 'thann' or 'chen'! And I kicked them out when they tried to bring the party back to Galia and my room." Uhura's voice had continued to rise during slowly during her speech, she ranted indignantly.

"Well, I for one, find it funny." Emma said trying to repress a smile. "Typical Galia, and Kirk for that matter… You're such a good friend, I don't know if I would be handling her work the next day if she ditched me at a bar for a tryst. Shouldn't you have gotten to sleep in this morning until 09:00?"

"Don't remind me." Uhura groaned. "Mind helping me hand them out? Commander Spock is ridiculously organized and has sorted them according to seat number already so it should go quickly."

"Yea, not a problem at all." Walking up the flight of stairs she tossed her bag and pea coat on her seat. "How is studying for your exams coming along?"

"Oh, great. I'm feeling very confident about my finals, but I've been finding less and less time to study though since I've taken on these aide positions this year."

"How many and which lecturers do you aide for?" Emma asked frowning. "I thought that students could only apply to aide for one course?"

"No, it's: can only aide for one lecturer. A student can still take on more than one course with a request from the instructor." Uhura replied avoiding Emma's question as she continued to place PADDs neatly on the desks in the room. The sound of boots skidding just outside the door had both girls looking up from their work to see Galia burst through the frame in an obscure jumble of red curls, puffing from the effort of arriving for her aide position.

"Oh man… Uhura… thanks... I thought he'd… kill me… if I were late again…" Galia huffed bent over slightly at the waist, supporting herself with one hand on the door frame the other hand on her hip. Underneath her open coat Emma could see that her blouse was crookedly buttoned showing at least half a cup of her sheer push up bra. Bruises littered her neck and cleavage area; she'd have to go get those removed at the med station later before classes. Cadets could gain a temporary demerit for unprofessional conduct, causing a loss in flight clearance. While most campus staff could care less about day to day student conduct, some of the staff, mainly gold stripes, took the job quite seriously.

"No problem Galia. I'll just watch out for you and your poor decisions every time we go to the bar." Uhura snapped over her shoulder, still angry at her friend.

"Well… I did manage to get a horny Jim off your back." Galia was quickly regaining her composure and she grinned at Uhura, who rolled her eyes. "Come-on, you can't stay mad at me forever. We're roomies! You put up with my sexual escapades," Uhura flashed a warning glare and Galia threw up her hands in feigned defence, "as long as I keep them out of our room… and I in return graciously offer you the best dating advice you've ever heard!" Galia beamed up toward her friend who began to thaw at the mention of her current affection.

"Oooo… Uhura likes someone? What the hell?" Emma asked puzzled, pausing to stop distributing the PADDs in her hands and turn to her friend. She knew that she could have read the information from her friends mind, but it would have been a great transgression in their relationship.

"She more than likes! She's been craving his… affections… since our first year!" Galia hooted at the front of the class while Emma's eyes riveted to Uhura and her mouth fell open in shock.

"After all of those lectures you gave me! Telling me that boys will just slow me down in Starfleet!" Emma cried in mock indignation. "Who, who, who? I must know." Galia sauntered over to the lecturer's desk and sat on the edge, her grin feral and aimed at Uhura.

"You sound like an owl Emma." Uhura said lamely aggressively continuing on her warpath of PADD distribution around the room.

"Why Uhura, your face is positively as red as a Vulcan desert." Galia added slyly, which only furthered Uhura's blush.

"I'd rather not discuss that here." Uhura hissed.

"I'm sure you'd rather not discuss it at all. And yet… here we are." Galia's eyes twinkled merrily upon the desk. Her green legs crossed so that her very short skirt would not show off her underwear, or lack thereof Emma added in her mind. "I know! Let's have a girl's night! Share all of our dirty little secrets over some pooncheenee mixers!" She clapped her hands together excitedly bouncing on the desk.

"I don't know if I trust you making me pooncheenee mixers Galia." Emma snickered.

"I'll have you know that I am a masterful pooncheenee mixer!" Galia sniffed.

"Cadet Galia. I must inform you, as you seem to be remiss of this rule, that students who are currently attending Starfleet Academy are expected to not imbibe any type of intergalactic alcoholic beverage or narcotic, unless on leave during break. Your actions, if carried out, would be exceptionally neglectful as your position as an aide would lead others to logically presume that you behaviour should be exemplary among the Starfleet cadet student body."

At the sound of Commander Spock's voice, the three women in the room froze in their respective positions. Emma's hand was halfway to delivering her last PADD, her eyes glued to the tall figure in the doorway. Uhura stood routed halfway between two steps on her way to return the PADD cart to the closet where instructors would leave essays to be handed out by the class aide. Galia remained seated on the front desk with her mouth hanging like a fish out of water, opening and closing slowly.

"I see I have cadet Uhura and cadet Wesson to thank for handing out the essays, thank you." Spock nodded in the direction of the two women and turned back to say something to Galia. Snapping back to her senses Galia nimbly hopped from the desk and stood at attention. Quickly she realized something was wrong as the Commanders eyes bore into her own.

"Oh!" Galia had realized her inappropriate state of dress and her hands flew up to the collar of her coat to snap it abruptly shut. With another commander, maybe her reaction would have been different, but not today. The green skin of her cheeks began to shade the same colour of red as her hair. "If that is all for this morning commander…" Her sentence trailed off.

"Cadet Galia; I advise you to report to medical before you attend your first class today. Cadet Uhura, please return the PADD cart to its proper location. Both of you are dismissed." He ignored Emma at the back of the classroom as the other two girls left the classroom; Galia racing out. "Thank you again, cadet." Spock acknowledged Uhura as she walked past. From where Emma was organizing her herself to begin class she could not see the small, shy affectionate expressions trade between the two; nor would have most others if they were standing between the cadet and commander during the exchange. The indomitable face of a Vulcan betrays little emotion to the untrained eye.

Looking up Emma noted that both of her friends had left and she was excited for her first class to begin. Commander Spock was always exactly five minutes early for class, just in time usually to give brief directives to Galia. Emma was generally one of the first people to arrive for class, the rest of the students filtering in before 07:00 hours. However, with the excitement of the IACC and upcoming holidays students were beginning to unwind; four even showing up late and apologising profusely as they walked to their seats.

Interspecies Ethics was one of Emma's favourite classes. From the first week of her attendance at Starfleet Academy she had been urged to consider what profession she would join after completing her graduation. Dr. Hander wanted her to try xenolinguistics. He claimed that her telepathy would allow her to be a great asset as a Starfleet ambassador in the future. This was also suggested by Galia and Uhura who were in the faculty as well. Emma wondered idly what Starfleet department that commander Spock worked in.

Since arriving her first day to his class she had been more that a little bit distracted by his presence at the front of the room during his fifty minute lectures. At first she had recognized him as the person from the hangar who helped her. Upon closer inspection during the week she realized that she found him to be slightly handsome also. By the end of her second week in Interspecies Ethics 101, she made a point of arriving early to provide any opportunity that he might want to take to talk to her. She had thought once about broadcasting attractiveness to him so that he might notice her, but that thought shamed her and she never approached it again. However, after spending an entire semester in his class he hadn't spoken to her once. Today was his first day of acknowledging her existence. Emma was puzzled, and sadly slightly elated, that he even knew her name.

Her second class of the day, Introduction to Chemistry, was by far one of the hardest to keep awake during. Running two hours long, the first half being lecture and the second the lab portion, Emma constantly found herself nodding off. C'Niri, her Caitian roommate had to nudge her in the ribs repeatedly. It wasn't that Emma didn't find chemistry interesting; it was that she found Lieutenant See to be monotone in his lecture delivery. Chemistry was one of Emma's favourite subjects in high school, and luckily one that she had excelled at easily or else her grades would have suffered. She had wished fervently in more than one class, that Commander Spock might have in some other alternate universe, been the teacher for intro to chemistry as well.

The third class of the day was by far her favourite. Ann Mulhall was a lieutenant commander Starfleet astrobiologist that decided to continue her active duty as an instructor at the academy after she had, as she eloquently puts it, 'had enough of that shit in space'. Not only did the old battle-axe keep the class hopping with her attitude she kept it interesting by pushing them academically. Emma respected the older woman immensely, never having said that in person yet, she gushed to her friends about how respectable and amazing she found the woman to be. Galia termed it a 'nerd-crush'.

As the class pulled to a close Mulhall moved to the front of the room to stand on a small stool; measuring in at around five feet she needed assistance to see all of the students in her room from the front.

"Listen up you pack of tribbles!" Another cadet had once heard that Mulhall was once a very sweet and engaging lady, but Emma just couldn't picture it. She'd even brushed Mulhall's conscious once to see if tenderness was a deeply recessed emotion but all that Emma found was discipline, annoyance, and control. "I need this lab spick-and-span before I let any of your sorry carbon based asses out of here for lunch! I don't want to come back after break to smell rotten agar! Make sure you pick up your term report from me before you leave the class as well." She hopped from the stool to stalk to her desk at the front of the room. The lab doubled for Mulhall's office as teaching labs were commonly used by a single lecturer.

"I'd love to leave a tray of this stuff over the heating vent in here beside that Denebian slime devil's desk." Andre said to Emma's left as he cleaned out an agar dish into the plasma incinerator at the side of their lab table. The gel from the dish Emma was currently cleaning made a squelching noise popping from the dish and into the small hole where it was promptly incinerated to remove the risk of any unwanted guests taking up residency in Mulhall's lab. A sound from her childhood, she found it immensely relaxing and rewarding to clean Petri dishes.

"Shh… I've heard she had her tympanic membranes replaced with Flaxian ones so that her hearing would be exponentially better." S'Lisa whispered from the table beside Andre and Emma's. "I sure hope she didn't hear you."

"I'm sure she has had worse comments slung at her over the years." Andre snorted. "If judging from her personal skills, I can almost grantee it." He glowered at his third dish as some of the other students who had their labs inspected were leaving.

"Oh, don't be so miserable Andy. It's break soon and you won't have to worry about her for a few weeks. Are you going off planet at all?" Emma tried to alleviate some of the tension in her friend.

"No, just back home to Canada for the holiday. My grandparents are coming in from Betazed for the holidays. I'm excited to see them." A quick smile flashed across his face. '_Maybe you could come see them? They would be fascinated to meet a full blood telepathic human.' _

Emma returned his smile. '_I already have plans with my family, thanks though.' _

Andre rolled his eyes at her. '_Seattle is practically part of Vancouver now. When are you planning on coming out anyway?'_

_'Coming out, as in you think I prefer females?' _Emma asked dodging the subject that he had pressed her about since finding out that she was telepathic.

_'No, with your unfulfilled love for me.' _Andre grinned at her wickedly. Luckily he wasn't empathetic as well or else he would have felt the slight repulsion and annoyance that statement left Emma feeling. _'I meant your ability. You're going to have to confide with more people than myself and Dr. Hander eventually you know. Or a lot of people are going to feel betrayed once you've told them.' _Andre had ended up realizing that his lab partner was telepathic two weeks into the semester after running into her at Dr. Hander's lab.

_'I will.' _She snapped. _'When I am ready I will. It's easy for you since you've got the trademark black Betazed eyes. I'm afraid people will reject me once they find out I'm just a weird human.' _

_'You mean you don't have any Betazed in you!?' _

_'No…" _Emma knew where this was going. She turned to pack up her papers.

_'Well would you care for some?' _He waggled his eyebrows at her and Emma punched his shoulder. "Ow! Hey! Just kidding!" Andre turned her to face him after putting down the last clean Petri dish and lifted her chin. "Seriously though, you are not a 'weird human'. This happens in humans, even if infrequently. You are beautiful, kind, and smart. Anyone who doesn't want to be your friend after realizing really how special you are is a complete moron."

"Thanks Andre, you're a real good friend sometimes you know." Emma took his hand and pulled it from her chin avoiding his eyes that were searching hers for some type of responded intimacy. He slowly leaned toward her.

"If you two lovebirds are damn well finished. I'll see you Wesson at the front to speak privately." Lieutenant Commander Mulhall dropped a PADD unceremoniously on the desk and spun on her heel to stride back to her desk. It was at that point that Emma and Andre realized they were the only two people left in the room aside from the instructor at the front. Blushing Emma patted Andre twice on the back, telling him she would catch-up later, as she walked away from him to meet Mulhall. Inside she was cheering Mulhall, relieved that she stopped Andre from presenting her with the awkward choice of either outright rejecting him or whatever else might have happened. Approaching the desk, which had two chairs opposite the one Mulhall was currently occupying, Emma felt unsure of what to do.

"Well don't loiter girl, take a seat." The woman flicked a finger towards the two in front of Emma, she chose the right one, and it was closer to the door. Mulhall was busying herself in a bookshelf beside her desk for the moment and it gave Emma a chance to study her. Her nose was straight and perfectly tipped at the end, the slope regal. Her eyes were a bright colour of blue with wrinkles at the corners and hardly any bags under; which was impressive considering she was well into her eighties. Her lips always seem to hold a sardonic smile as their corners tugged slightly upwards but her eyes remained sharp. Her hair was straight white, and regally piled on her head above her heart shaped face.

"Why did you ask me to remain behind lieutenant commander?" Emma asked nervously.

"Do I make you nervous girl?" Mulhall ignored her question and eyed her over the stacks of PADDs and paper on her desk. Before Emma had a chance to respond Mulhall continued. "No, don't bother answering that. I'm not as horrid as I make myself out to be. Truth is I actually can be agreeable, towards the right people." Emma sat as straight and silently as she could. "In fact, the reason I am such a 'Denebian slime devil', is because when I were more agreeable I was always accosted by the student body to become a part of my research. Which they would usually bungle! Damn kids… What I need, is an assistant that is efficient, intelligent, shows up on time, and not going to pander to me only so that they can have a nice resume after four years."

Emma opened her mouth to speak but abruptly shut it when Mulhall raised her hand, which held the PADD that had Emma's final report on it.

"Did you plagiarize this?" Emma paled and shook her head vigorously. "Pay some shithead fourth year to write it?" She shook her head again. "What you are indicating is that this is in fact your own work? Right out of your own head and on to this PADD?"

"Yes, maam." Emma squeaked.

"Where did you learn about advanced xenobiology?" Mulhall eyed her, her white brows narrowing.

"My mother..." Emma coughed slightly. "My mother is a genetic researcher who helps colonies establishing on other plantes adapt genomes of the plants they will grow there to be most efficient for their respective climates. I grew up in a lab."

"Interesting. You're hired."

"I… I didn't apply for anything?" Emma asked weakly.

"Nonsense, this report," Mulhall brandished it about in her face just to make sure that she knew exactly which report she was talking about, "is damn near brilliant. I haven't had anything this promising come through my office in a long time, and I will be buggered before I let you go to waste on some other simpering idiot that thinks he knows xenobiology." Mulhall pounded her fist against the desk once at buggered, and again at idiot. She smiled genuinely suddenly and it took Emma by surprise; she could see then the beautiful and temperate woman that Ann Mulhall was on the inside. Emma found herself smiling back.

"What exactly am I hired for?" She asked politely.

"My aide of course, I'm going to fire that bumbling idiot Sarcan later today, and starting tomorrow you will be my aide. For research purposes, class help, things like that." She rummaged around in the bottom right hand drawer of her desk. Finding the paper she wanted Mulhall shoved it across the desk at Emma. "Sign the appropriate spots and I'll look after the rest. You'll be married to me for the four years you are here of course; till graduation do we part." She frowned at Emma, daring her to say no as her pen were poised above the paper.

"I am more that ecstatic for this opportunity maam. Just a little shell-shocked to show it maybe." Emma tried to loosen up. As soon as she looked up from the paper she had finished signing, she saw a triumphant gleam in Mulhall's eyes. She snatched up the paper from Emma and pressed into her other hand a glass full of some alcoholic amber liquid.

"21st century Scotch. Quite rare, and delicious. Cheers to a new colleague." Mulhall held out her glass and Emma touched the two together. After finishing her drink she smiled broadly though the liquid burned a fiery trail to her stomach; quite strong compared to what she was used to.

"I don't know if I can thank you enough for this opportunity Lieutenant Commander Mulhall."

"Ann dear, just Ann. The full address is an unnecessary mouthful. If were going to be working together I don't want to wait five seconds for you to talk to me every time you address me." She smiled warmly at Emma again. "Here is your new itinerary, memorize it." She handed over a piece of paper, the contents of which she would have to work into her schedule. "Now I suggest that you take the last fifteen minutes of your lunch to go and get some food or else the scotch might have some adverse effects on your stomach and mind." She stood and shook Emma's hand once more.

"Thanks again, Ann." Emma waved from the door before letting it fall softly closed behind her. She wasn't sure she could eat with all of the excitement causing adrenaline to run through her body.

Looking left and right she checked to see the hall was clear before she initiated in a full-scale body-wiggling, happy dance that lasted for well over a minute. Wait till she let everyone know!Today was shaping up to be one of her best so far at Starfleet Academy. Commander Spock had acknowledged her existence and she had impressed Mulhall enough to be given an aide position! In her first semseter!


	3. Vulcan Orchid

Hello dear readers, I am glad for the positive response to my story. I hadn't planned on including this chapter but it was a lot of fun to write, and I thought, what the hell. I struggled with the dream section, so hopefully it turned out well. I am aiming for, misplaced affection and wistfulness.

_StarlightShivers, _thank you for your review. Ask and you shall receive but for certain reasons, I can't have the two directly engaged quite yet.

_CuriousOysters & KB, _thanks for your reviews. They gave me warm fuzzies.

As always, I hope you enjoy.

Two Days Later

StarfleetAcademy

04:53 hours

_Spock could feel smooth, cool cotton sheets as he pressed the palms of his hands to the bed beneath him. He was resting with his face contently pressed into a pillow, which smelt faintly of Vulcan orchids. A stimulating scent that was slightly sweet but mostly musk; it reminded him of his mother's gardens at home. Warm wind soothed the tension in his body as it caressed his skin, flowing over the back of him. He concluded that he must be dreaming, for he never slept nude. Enjoying the sensations that surrounded him, he continued to laze on the soft bed and enjoy his moment of repose. He mused in his head, logically, what hurt could come from enjoying a dream? The wind languidly brushed from his calves to the base of his spine and he shuddered slightly at the sensation; feeling his skin glow in the wake of its stroke. No harm at all really, he reasoned, as a dream is insubstantial. The detached and imposing demeanour that he usually radiated was removed with each brush of the wind across his skin. _

_If he would have bothered to ask himself, Spock wouldn't have been able to answer when exactly the sighing wind of his dream had turned into soft pliant hands. They moved over his body, urging him to roll onto his back. The soft caresses covered every inch of his body. Trailing designs over his thighs. Massaging stress away which had accumulated in his neck and chest. Lingering daintily over his stomach to feel his heartbeat. _

_He felt a sigh escape his lips in gratification of the pleasure he was receiving. And then silken lips press to his lips. A lavish chest press to his chest. Hips press flush to him as supple legs entangled his. _

_Spock should have been disturbed by change of events in his dream. Logic would dictate that engaging in dreams was purposeless; and engaging in dreams such as the one that he was having now would cause a significant disturbance to his delicate inner balance; resulting in an extra period of meditation after awaking. However, the pleasure that his dream body found in the ministrations being given to it, made Spock think of little else other than what was currently engrossing him._

_Trying to open his eyes he found that his dream body wouldn't respond. He fiercely wanted to see the woman hovering above him. Reaching out to cup her cheek, his palm met a wisp of air before the pressure along his body abated. He speculated briefly before waking up, if the developments in his relationship with cadet Uhura were responsible for the dream… _

Emma's eyes opened. Her alarm was due to ring in two minutes. She could have spent another hour inside of the dream that she had just left.

She shuffled down her bed to stretch her body languidly. Her hands shook slightly as she thought of the man she had caressed in her dream. Though her eyes had remained closed throughout, she had felt the soft tips of his pointed ears and the slant of his eyebrows. It was not a surprise to Emma that she had a risqué dream about her Interspecies Ethics lecturer; she had been harbouring a substantial crush for him for the duration of her first semester. This was her best kept secret from her friends of course, as they would never let her live down the small infatuation.

Classes were cancelled for the day as the Interstellar Academic Cadet Convention was winding up. All of the interviews arranged with fourth year cadets took place on this day, and the remaining student body was encouraged to volunteer their time to return the rec rooms to their normal state. A large dinner was served in the mess, and friends would use their last remaining hours to get into trouble before breaking for the winter holiday. Though it could mean a temporary demerit to a cadets file, most chose to hit the town with their friends before they went home or off planet. Many of the supervisors on campus took this old tradition with a grain of salt. They themselves had partaken in the harmless ritual celebration of future employment and friendship.

"Ughhh…" Emma groaned as she stuffed her face into her pillow.

"Good morning!" C'Niri announced from the kitchen. "Someone's a little sexually frustrated this morning?" Emma's head snapped up. C'Niri was grinning at her over a proffered cup of steaming coffee.

"Oh crap. Did I project again?" C'Niri's grin spread wider.

"Just emotions. Not images. So, when are you going to tell me who your mystery man is?" Emma snatched up the coffee and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks. And there is no mystery man; he barely even knows I exist."

"Well, let's just say Teree is going to have to thank you later." Her tail twitched from side to side as she thought about her boyfriend. "Ready to run? I need to work off some energy."

"Sorry… or maybe not sorry… about projecting last night. And yes, just let me finish my coffee." Emma looked at her friend bleary-eyed.

C'Niri had found out about Emma's ability by accident. Never having a roommate before, Emma was unaware that she would short-range project emotions and images during her sleep if she was hitting her REM cycle hard enough. At first C'Niri had been upset about her roommate keeping her telepathy a secret, feeling that somehow her privacy might be in jeopardy. However, over the three short months the girls developed an extremely strong bond and any unhappy feelings about Emma's ability had been forgotten long ago.

The girls left the dorm dressed in Starfleet standard sweats and long-sleeved shirts. They were among some of the first out on the quad this morning. Most cadets were likely sleeping in, relieved by the end of the semester coming. The cool morning caused their breath to fog in front of their mouths as they ran north. Ice crystals covered blades of grass on the lawns and leaves in the trees, colouring the world white.

"Morning you two!" Galia announced loudly from behind the two girls. Neither girl was surprised by the addition to their running party. Emma could feel another conscious approaching and C'Niri's exceptional hearing picked her up ten meters away. "You're no fun!" She mock pouted.

"Morning Galia." C'Niri rolled her eyes.

"You should know better than to try and sneak up on a Caitian, Galia." Emma huffed; she wasn't so fantastic at the running thing or at being a morning person either apparently.

"Ya, tell me about it. So, down to business." C'Niri and Emma exchanged wary looks at Galia's words. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad. We're getting together a group to go out tonight to Anza Vista. It's going to be great!" She trilled excitedly.

"Who is 'we'?" Emma asked trying to focus on keeping one foot in front of the other, the magic of the frosted morning broken at Galia's arrival.

"Oh you know, everyone." Galia elaborated ambiguously. "Well, are you two in or out? It will be fun…"

"In." C'Niri said abruptly. Emma's face swivelled to stare at her friend.

"Yes!" Galia gesticulated by fist pumping. "We're taking the magtrain at 21:00 hours. Let's meet up in Uhura and my room at 20:30?"

"Sounds like a plan." Emma puffed. Galia gave each of the girl's one last excited green ear-splitting grin before leaving them to go and recruit more people for their evening excursion. "What the hell!?"

"You could use a new experience." C'Niri was unbothered by her friends' indignation.

"Well I could have decided that on my own you know." Emma hissed; she was afraid of going to a place where reserve was cast aside. It wasn't hard to block when people were keeping their thoughts to themselves, but most became clear broadcasters after a few drinks. Emma had gone out once at the beginning of the year and had returned to campus shortly after since she'd had such difficulty. She found when she would drink, her ability seemed to amplify. "Plus, I have nothing to wear…"

"I can help with that." C'Niri said offhandedly, her eyes trained forward. "Come on, it's not going to get any easier if you don't ever try again. You're missing out on some really fun times. You don't have to drink, just come to dance and relax."

"Ok, I guess it couldn't hurt." Emma relented.

The day passed uneventfully after that. Both girls assisted in cleaning up the rec room on the third floor. Clearing the tables and booths had taken the better part of the day. At dinner all cadets had worn their dress uniform. It wasn't a regal affair, but instead of dining in the officer's mess as usual, the higher-ups joined in with all of the cadets in the regular mess. Emma had spied Commander Spock from across the room briefly when she entered the hall, but his gaze never met hers.

Spock was looking at cadet Uhura, who had strategically positioned herself in the direct line of his sight for dinner. He hadn't planned on staying on campus, but he had been unable to secure passage on a shuttle to Vulcan until tomorrow. Throughout the day he couldn't seem to shake the remnants of his dream from earlier that morning. He had meditated for an extra four hours, having no responsibilities since classes had finished. Unexpectedly he would get flashes of feeling throughout the day as the dream crept into his thoughts, they disturbed and thrilled him. Spock disparaged his human half. He was well aware that his levels of oxytocin and serotonin had been elevated in the morning; and they had remained above average for the day, spiking when his mind would wander to the matter of the dream. Without warning, he had a stronger than average surge when Uhura's eyes met his own. She presented him a small smile. The tips of his ears turned a slight shade of green and Captain Pike looked at him queerly for a minute before noticing where Spock's attention was drawn to. Pike smiled knowingly and returned to his other conversation.

Galia, excited that her plan for an evening out with friends was coming to fruition, arrived at 19:00 hours banging on C'Niri and Emma's door. Uhura was in tow holding two pitchers of pooncheenee mixers. Both girls were dressed immaculately. Galia wearing leggings with a hot pink low-cut tunic top, the colour complimenting her green skin; Uhura a classy cut black dress that ended well above her knees displaying her gorgeous legs. She grinned along with Galia, high on the blush she had raised out of Spock during dinner. Pushing their way into the room Uhura moved over to the kitchenette in C'Niri and Emma's room. She poured four cups of pooncheenee mixers and handed them out as Galia moved to the computer in the room to turn on some music.

"To having a fantastic sexy time tonight!" Galia toasted.

"Seriously, I have nothing to wear!" Emma sorted through her things frustrated. Galia and C'Niri's eyes flashed as they locked gazes simultaneously at Emma's comment.

"This perfume is fantastic Emma." Uhura commented from her shelf of personal things; she had been looking at the books there.

"Try it on. I found it a while ago and fell in love with it."

"I think we can help with your problem." C'Niri grinned at Emma, the pooncheenee mixers already having their desired effect. Galia grabbed Emma around the waist and urged her toward C'Niri's closet. The two girls discussed between themselves what would be best for Emma to wear out, disagreeing on which of her assets to emphasize. Eventually she was ushered into the bathroom holding a bright red pair of come-sex-me underwear, a teal boat neck sleeveless shirt, and a charcoal skirt.

"I don't know about this…" Emma emerged from the bathroom feeling subconscious in the short skirt. "This is even shorter that our uniform skirt." She tugged at the ends of the skirt. Galia bounced up from the bed where she was lounging.

"You look yummy enough to eat." She purred as she sauntered up to Emma and grabbed her hand to twirl her in a circle. Uhura and C'Niri laughed and wolf whistled from the small dinette table. Emma smiled shyly at her friends.

"Your hair should be up though." Uhura cocked her head to the side. "You've a fantastic neck. Come here a moment." Uhura stood up from her seat and motioned for Emma to sit in front of her. Her fingers deftly swept Emma's hair into a French roll with the aid of a brush and some pins. Standing back to survey her work she nodded and smiled at Emma. "You look lovely."

"Thanks everyone." Emma mumbled overwhelmed with grateful feelings.

"It wouldn't kill you to be more excited you know. It is only the second time you'll be coming out with us." Galia huffed from the space on the bed she had reoccupied taking a long sip of her drink. C'Niri glanced at Emma, aware of her difficulties and subsequent trepidations.

"What?" Uhura caught the look.

"What, what?" Emma responded quickly, taking a nervous sip of her drink. "Wow, this stuff is potent."

"And delicious!" C'Niri added, taking an appreciative sip.

"Don't change the subject." Uhura shook her finger at the two girls. "What are you hiding?"

"You're hiding something?" Galia's interest was peaked. She rolled onto her a stomach and propped her chin up on her hands looking expectantly between her friends. A knot formed in Emma's stomach as she thought back to Andre's words in the lab; postponing telling them would only make them more resentful later. She waivered between uncertainty and resolve. C'Niri put her hands up in the air to signify that it wasn't her secret to tell. Uhura and Galia looked at Emma. "You could tell us anything, you know that right? You're not in trouble, are you?"

"No." Emma answered in a small voice. "Imtelepathic." She rushed out. Uhura's eyebrows flew to her hairline; a look of uncertainty crossed her face before she schooled her features.

"Come again?" Galia looked puzzled.

"I'm telepathic." Emma answered weakly. She covered her face with her hands waiting for her friends to reject her. The room remained silent for a few heart pounding moments. No one said or did anything. Emma thought she might be sick. Everyone else who knew about her telepathy had found out by accident, these were the first friends that she was outright telling.

"Like, mind reader?" Uhura asked quietly. Emma nodded. "Have you read our minds?" It was a perfectly legitimate question but it stung Emma.

"No!" She answered vehemently. "No. I mean, not my friends. I wouldn't unless you asked me to or invited me. It's against my ethical code of telepathic conduct." Emma took a quick sip of her drink. Uhura nodded and Galia looked shocked.

"Well, ok then." Uhura said.

"That's it? You're not mad? Or... you don't hate me or anything?" Emma asked weakly, and it was Uhura's turn to be indignant.

"Do you think so little of me that I would begrudge you something you couldn't control?" She sniffed. "It's not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be. There are plenty of other beings that are telepathic. I mean, it is surprising since you're a human, but whatever. Just stay out of my head." She threw her hand flippantly into the air and cocked a smile at Emma, who visibly relaxed.

"I think it's fantastic!" Galia shouted as she bounced to a kneeling position after the exchange between Uhura and Emma; not spilling a drop of her drink. "Do you know how much fun we could have with this tonight?!" Her eyes gleamed.

"It's not a parlour trick." C'Niri said in defence of her friend, her tail swaying in agitation. Emma beamed at her friends, relieved at their acceptance.

"We will see." Galia looked beyond excited and the other three girls rolled their eyes at her. She glanced at the clock, "let's get this show on the road. It's already 21:20 hours, and I told the guys we'd meet them there."

Walking across campus to the wait bay for the magtrain, the four girls weren't surprised to meet other friends headed to the same destination. True to tradition, most students were going out on their last evening on campus. Only a few rooms remained lit in the student dorms as the girls walked away. The magtrain ride was also uneventful, except for a call from Kirk to Galia asking if a booth was fine since the club was filling up quickly.

Anza Vista was dark and imposing rising from the concrete a block past their magtrain stop. The outside of the club was completely black without any décor to indicate what you would find inside. The only way to identify the club was the stylized metal 'AV' that was emblazoned on its black door. Inside of the club reflected the minimalist, sleek design. One half of the room held a large bar that was square with a holographic top which glowed white. Advertisements for different drinks would casually run along its frame. The other half of the room held the dance floor. Contrasting the bar area, the floor of the dancing area was built from marble so black it seemed to absorb any light which found its way there from the pulsating lamps above. Vague shapes shifted and convulsed to the music that pounded over the speakers.

The place was crammed full of cadets a few other odds-and-ends. Galia came across an Orion friend who immediately greeted her by shoving his tongue down her throat. Not bothering to disengage from the affections she waved the others on, she would find them later.

Private booths lined the edge of the large room. Small rectangular tables, similar to the bar lit with holograms from within, sat a foot from the black padded floor of the booth. It was in one of these booths that the girls, making their way deeper into the club, eventually found an already very drunk Jim Kirk.

"Ladies! You are looking lovely this evening." Kirk slurred, grinning at the girls, his eyes twinkling, as he took a sweeping and very appreciative glance over them. "I am a very lucky man."

"Kirk, dream on. And move would you." Uhura muttered as she got into the booth. As Kirk sat in the only entrance to the booth and had his legs stretched out, Uhura was forced to awkwardly climb over him in order to find a seat in the back. As her backside passed by, his lips formed into a comical 'O'. He turned to wink at C'Niri making a sweeping movement with his arm to indicate it was now her turn to climb over him to sit.

"Good god Jim, pull yourself together. Sorry, C'Niri." Bones hauled his friend up and out of the booth by the scruff of his shirt.

"You know, you have a habit of showing up at the most inopportune times Bones." Kirk wavered on his feet no longer supported by McCoy. C'Niri grinned at his crestfallen face as she got into the booth to sit with Uhura in the back.

"A few minutes earlier would have been even better." Uhura quipped from the back as she shot Kirk a glare while he promptly threw his hand over his heart and adopted a wistful look on his face.

"A truly pivotal moment in my life: the day I had Uhura's ass hovering by my face. I could die a happy man now."

"You get far too amorous when drunk, Kirk." Emma knocked him on the shoulder as she stepped past. Squinting one eye Kirk watched her backside disappear into the booth.

"Well, a tiger can't change his spots."

"Leopard, Jim, leopard. How much have you had to drink man?" McCoy asked in his Kentucky accent.

"Oh you know…" Kirk rolled his hand nonchalantly in the air to indicate some indefinite amount. "And it's Leonard, Bones, Leonard. Sheesh! How much have you had to drink! You think you'd remember your own name." Kirk poked his friend in the chest still squinting one eye. Shaking his head Leonard McCoy moved to get into the booth to join the women.

"We could just knock him out you now." C'Niri regarded the drunk who was re-entering the booth coolly. "It would save us a lot of hassle to just pile him up in the back corner."

"I would help you." Uhura shot daggers at Kirk.

_'Did I miss something?' _Andre asked Emma as he cocked his head looking at the disgruntled Uhura.

_'Nothing really out of the ordinary.' _

"Well I'm not babysitting him tonight." McCoy leaned forward to press a few buttons on the table and a holographic drink menu was displayed. He glanced over the menu and chose a bourbon which quickly replicated in front of him.

"That is too cool." Emma watched in fascination as the gold bands disappeared from around the glass.

"Ya, it's part of the reason this place is so popular, cheap technological tricks." Andre said as he pushed in his order for a Bud Classic. "What would you like Emma?"

"A Bud Classic would be great." She watched as his hands ghosted over the menu before another drink appeared for her.

A companionable chatter filled the booth as everyone began to drink and relax. Kirk, though intoxicated, proved true to his reputation and remained witty and engaging, if not a bit overtly lecherous. C'Niri spotted her boyfriend Teree at the bar and she left to join him. Sauntering up to him Emma watched as C'Niri unabashedly ran her hand down Teree's tail, his back stiffening before realizing it was actually C'Niri who had touched him. Shortly after Galia arrived with more friends in tow and they all squished into the booth.

"Did you know Emma is a telepath?!" Galia announced as soon as she flounced down. Andre's eyes shot to Emma's, worry crossing his mind and face. A short pause occurred when only the loud thumping of the music could be heard before a cheer went up in the booth. Emma looked quizzically at her friends.

_'Congratulations on coming out!' _Andre looked astounded but very pleased at Emma revealing her true nature.

"You're not surprised?"

"Well, I'll have you know that I am just not a pretty face!" Kirk waggled his eyebrows at her.

"We had our suspicions. You and Andre were unnaturally attuned for friends that weren't actually dating." McCoy smiled genuinely over his bourbon while a small frown creased Andre's face at the reminder of their relationships lack of romance.

"Now, what am I thinking?" Kirk smirked at her. _'Galia's boobs look amazing in that shirt.' _

"Hmm…" Emma put her index finger to her chin, pretending to consider. "Well, you know it's the funniest thing! I just can't seem to find anything in your head!" A roar of laughter sounded from McCoy.

"Can't say I'm surprised!" Uhura joined in laughing with McCoy while Emma sat smug across the table.

"You. You're trouble when you drink, you know that." Kirk smiled and waggled his finger at Emma, not really minding being the butt of the joke.

_'Here I'll do you a favour.' _Emma projected to Kirk. Turning to Galia she lifted her eyebrows to indicate that she wanted inside her head. Looking excited at her first chance for telepathic communication Galia quickly nodded. _'His thought earlier was that you look extremely beautiful tonight.' _Upon registering Emma's thought Galia's head whipped to stare at Kirk, a slow and sultry smile spreading across her lips. Turning her attention back to Kirk, Emma projected to him: _'You're welcome.' _

Andre watched the exchange between the three amusedly. Galia offered to dance with Kirk when a slow song came on, and Andre proposed the same to Emma. The four left and separated on the dance floor.

_'What did you do to them?' _Andre asked her in amazement. Galia and Kirk were having a very good and shameless time on the dance floor.

_'I said to her that he thinks she is beautiful.' _Emma replied. Telepathic communication became handy when in a loud club.

_'Is that all it takes to get women to act like that?'_

_'That's all it takes to get Galia like that.' _Emma corrected him, becoming wary of where the conversation was heading and their close proximity.

_'I like you, you know. A lot.' _

_'Ya, that has been made fairly clear. I like you a whole lot too, as a friend.' _Emma sighed inwardly. Thankfully the song had stopped and she no longer needed to be in Andre's arms. _'Thanks for the dance.' _

When the couple returned to their booth Uhura announced her intention to return to campus. Galia grinned at her friend and winked. It was already 01:00 hours and Uhura looked quite urgent to leave.

"I'm going to tag along too. Pretty tired." Emma stifled a yawn ignoring Andre's gaze.

"Ya, me too. Not much left for an old bachelor to do here since I'm never getting involved again." As McCoy drank more he often became more morose, reflecting on his recent divorce. Following the two women McCoy asked Andre as he walked past. "What in the hell happened to you?"

"Friend zoned." Cocking an eyebrow Bones looked very unsympathetic.

"For the best. Trust me. Women are just trouble." He clapped Andre on the shoulder and strode off.

The magtrain was again filled with cadets as it departed the docking station. Loud and enthusiastic about holidays starting, they were continuing the celebration that they were supposed to leave behind at their respective drinking venues. Some couples were engaging in questionably appropriate foreplay. Uhura laughed and chatted with a boisterous group while Emma and McCoy sat sullenly together, thinking about their respective romantic problems. The ride passed by very slowly for Uhura.

"Hey, where are you going?" Emma called after Uhura who turned to walk down the right fork of the campus path, away from the left which would lead her to the student dorms.

"Just going to try and sober up a bit!"

"Oh, ok. See you tomorrow!" Emma couldn't remember her drinking that much. Then again, she had only had a few drinks as well and felt pretty tipsy. "Looks like it's just me and you." She smiled up at McCoy who extended his arm.

"Let's get going it's damn cold out." He shrugged deeper into his coat. Emma laced her arm into his and snuggled up to him platonically. Why couldn't her relationship with Andre be like this?

Uhura walked brusquely along the wide white path. She felt very conspicuous heading toward the staff dorms. Few lights were on in the building, but that was to be expected as most staff would have left campus or already been sleeping. However, she knew from her discussion with Spock earlier that he would be in his rooms. He wasn't leaving for Vulcan until early tomorrow morning.

Tonight was her last chance until after break. She'd been preoccupied the entire night with deciding whether or not she should make her feelings apparent. Even more worried that Emma might pick up her thoughts. Uhura thought that the girl might have romantic feelings for the commander as well and didn't want to hurt her, or become her rival.

Slowing her pace she felt butterflies rising in her stomach as she was confronted with the walkway which led to the doors to the staff dorm. She knew if she moved down it, there would be no turning back afterward. Her fists clenched and unclenched subconsciously as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Uhura was not a stranger to Spock's small apartment; she had been over before for dinner, along with his other aides. He really tried to be accommodating to those he had to work with, even if it made him slightly uncomfortable performing human courtesy. She had been alone with him before during his office hours, discussing their shared passion of xenolinguistics. The Vulcan seemed to genuinely enjoy her company and Uhura was feeling lately that it might be more. More than whatever this awkward space was that they both occupied right now anyway. She unclenched her hands and began walking up the path.

He'd blushed again tonight when their gazes met; she could feel his eyes lingering on her before that moment. Just as his eyes had lingered on her lips during their discussion on Vulcan phonology three weeks ago. Spock would never make an advance on her, and Uhura was tired of waiting. The door to the building opened easier than she thought it would, she was expecting a lead weight.

Reaching the seventh floor she hurried from the elevator. The turbulence in her stomach intensified as she stood facing his door. Uhura stood, her arm hanging in the air, frozen before making the final move to ring the buzzer to his rooms. Her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of taking that final step to finding the answer to a question that burned her since her first year.

_It's just another guy. Just another guy. _She repeated the mantra in her head for a moment, closing her eyes and envisioning all of the subtle cues Spock had given her. Galia and she had thoroughly dissected each memory already. If any passerby happened by now, she would look quite ridiculous. It was this thought that stiffened her resolve. She pushed the buzzer.

Nothing happened and Uhura couldn't hear any noise coming from behind the door. She began to back away from the door getting ready to retreat when it slid open.

"Nyota?" Spock was unsure of the situation. He had been meditating and had never been interrupted before at such a time. Human social customs were bizarre to him. It was one in the morning and a young woman he had come to admire and respect was standing lovely before him in a very slinky dress.

It was not the sounds of his voice but his eyes that seized Uhura's attention. She followed the dark gaze with rapt attention as it swept over her form covetously. It was the only answer she needed to her longing.

Spock later noted that she did indeed, smell of Vulcan orchids.


	4. The Destruction of Vulcan

Hello, dear readers. I am glad that you enjoyed my last chapter. We are moving quickly forward with the story, please make sure to note the passage of time I have created by utilizing the Star dates I post. This chapter might look a little bit familiar, but I've twisted it to fit my story. Thank you to _krinkalo, SpockFan179, _and a_ guest _for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, any of it's associated characters, or plot line.

Star Date 2258.41

15:45

Archer Hall Amphitheatre, Starfleet Academy

Emma had been extremely successful with her career at Starfleet Academy over her past two years; her academic projections slated her for an early graduation in 2259. She ranked top in her science classes, proving that her associated faculty member Ann Mulhall had been correct in scooping her up early during her first year. Though she was not top of the class in other faculties, she still managed to score well above average. Her cordial relationship with Dr. Hander had also continued as she participated in many of his research studies due to her advanced telepathic abilities.

"Well, I think that will be all for today my dear." Dr. Hander removed the circlet from Emma. "I am making great progress into my research thanks to your help."

"I'm glad to help doctor." Emma smiled up at Dr. Hander as he reached out to help her into a sitting position. "It's fun to test my abilities limits; find out more about myself."

"You know, I think that your small improvements could be made into significant ones if you were to move to another planet where you could properly study telepathy." He rubbed his bald head absently with his palm. Emma had come to learn over the years that this indicated he was beginning to tire.

"Ya, I know. Andre has pestered me for the last two years about moving to Betazed with him after graduation." Emma swung her legs back and forth on the edge of the biobed.

"Hmm… well he is a decent young man. His abilities don't rival yours… Oh, don't look at me that way. I know patient doctor disclosure rules better than you, and we both know anyway that he can't master empathy." He tapped the side of his bald head with a finger to indicate his deeper knowing. "I don't know if he is good enough for my Emma though." Dr. Hander winked at her from his desk while Emma sat frowning in contemplation.

"Is that how telepaths decide their mates? Matching ability?"

"Well," he swivled his office chair to fully face her, "not quite. Different species have different mating rules. On Delta IV, everyone is free to companion with whomever they choose, whenever they choose. Those with stronger ability are seen as blessed and therefore as more desirable. A similar system exists on Betazed. However, since you are a woman and quite a powerful telepath, your parents would likely have engaged you and your family would have profited from your marriage. Receiving a sort of bride-price."

"And what about on Vulcan?"

"Well, that is mostly mystery. The Vulcan's don't want any of their secrets getting out into the galaxy. Too private if you ask me. Creepy how they can only read minds by touching. A Vulcan engagement involves the two intended trying to form a mind-link that is made permanent. We Deltans don't bother with such a base form of telepathy because we can link anytime without touch anyways." Dr. Hander sniffed in superiority.

"What effect does the mink-link have on the couple?" Emma was trying to shield some of her enthusiasm from leaking out into the room where Dr. Hander would undoubtedly catch it.

"It keeps them together physically, emotionally, and mentally. If within the first year of establishing a full bond one of the mates die, their partner dies as well. So tragic. It also cements a channel between the two Vulcan's that remains open without touch. The only similarity they hold to Deltan and Betazoid customs is that being in close proximity of ones mate will make it easier over time to access thoughts and feelings."

"That is all... very interesting." Emma ruminated on the information hoping to learn more.

"There is some fantastic reading material available in the library if you want to learn more. Unfortunately, I am not as well versed in cultural practices of different planets."

"Ya… thanks. So, is that all for today? I know you have me booked to 16:00 hours, but I've got some research to finish in the lab for Mulhall before the end of the week. If I don't have it done she'll kill me. And I've already lost my night to work because of the hearing that's been called." she groaned. No one liked to sit through disciplinary hearings. They were monotonous, and had to be held at the end of the day when everyone was finished with their routine work on campus.

"Ah, the battleaxe." He nodded sagely. "She's got you running labs for her as well? That is quite impressive. It's a great compliment, that she has extremely high expectations of you; she wouldn't have them if she didn't think you could perform. She's so passionate…" Dr. Hander had a wistful look in his eye. "In my days as a boy she was quite the looker aboard the Enterprise. A smile that could tease the heart out of any man; more coy than Mona Lisa."

"She was stationed on the Enterprise?" Emma chose to ignore the other comments.

"The leading astrobiologist of the ship; her advances in genetic research has helped to map the genomes of thousands of species across space."

"Wow, I had no clue. She isn't exactly forthcoming with personal information."

"Yes, well, perhaps it's best we stop here for today then. If you happen across Andre, please remind him of our appointment time tomorrow. That boy is always late." Dr. Hander shook his head and held Emma's hand to help her from the bed. "Have a good night my dear. Contact me when you have your spare time allotted for next week. I'll need at least two hours with you. Separate hours is fine as well."

"Sure, I'll message you after I've finished my work for Mulhall, or else she might come after you for holding up her aide." Emma grinned over her shoulder from the door, waving.

Her time in the lab was fruitful if not as productive as she would have liked. Sighing she looked down at the DNA chart on the PADD in front of her. The altered genome of the wheat plant had made it more heat tolerant, but the lower gravity of Venus was giving her some trouble. When Venus had been colonized years ago, terraforming had been done so that the planet was habitable for humanoids and other species. A thriving trade colony, now they wanted to be able to produce their own crop to feed themselves and trade as well. Mulhall had taken on research to develop a new strain of bioengineered wheat which would thrive in the hotter and lower gravity environment. She had researched the native plant species top to bottom and could find no genetic indicator to help her in furthering the research. Sighing again Emma looked down to her watch and realized that it was time to report to the hearing. If she could manage, she would sit far into the back where she would be able to keep working on her PADD at least.

Arriving at the amphitheatre Emma nodded to her friends sitting near the front rows. McCoy looked disgruntled while Kirk, sitting to his right, still had a smug smile plastered to his face at his successful hack and completion of the Kobayashi Maru simulation. Emma rolled her eyes and hoisted her bag on her shoulder. Sitting down in the back she proceeded to pull out her PADD from her bag and look over the DNA scan. Playing around with different markers she immersed herself in her work, not even paying attention to the trial. The room was quiet except for slight shuffling in the audience and the voices below. Emma found it to be quite soothing.

At the sound of the theatre door closing to her left, Emma lifted her gaze from the PADD. Surveying the scene below she noticed Commander Spock was standing opposite to Kirk. Her heart skipped a short beat when she noticed the Vulcan. The yeoman approached Admiral Barnett swiftly not bothering with the fact that he interrupted the hearing. Reading the PADD Barnett's face registered surprise and then concern.

"We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system, I hereby order all cadets to report to hangar one immediately. Dismissed." Admiral Richard Barnett called a halt to the trial even though Kirk's assessment had yet to be concluded. The graveness of his face as he called out the directives left the assembled cadets nervous as they all scrambled to get to hangar one.

Spock's heart jumped in his chest at the announcement though he did not allow the nerves to show through his control; his eyebrows furrowed slightly. His mind raced to form a logical reason for the distress signal from his home planet to be superficial; distress signals were only sounded upon being attacked by an enemy. Vulcan was a formidable and austere planet, for them to call for help there must be something wrong. Unless this were a training exercise; but Spock reasoned that there was only a 7.293% chance of that. He strode to the hangar to board a shuttle to the Enterprise.

Arriving in the hangar Emma found the second year science cadets, they were going to receive their placements soon. She was eager to go into space early, most cadets didn't get to go until their three month leave in third year, and she felt guilty for being excited under the circumstances. Shuttles were leaving the hangar rapidly as they filled with personnel. Andre grinned at her as she took her place beside him.

"A whole year early! Wait till my older brother learns I got to fly!" Andre crowed over the tumult of the hangar. A group of commanders marched past and Emma's eyes followed them for a moment before she noted the xenolinguistics group being given their assignments by Commander Spock. Uhura looked cross about something.

"Earth to Emma!" Andre shook her shoulder. "Hey! You've got a problem. They didn't call your name."

"Huh? What do you mean my name wasn't called." She looked quickly around for the commander who had assigned them their ships, cursing herself for not paying closer attention. Spotting her and quickly tailing her Emma was closing ground with Andre right behind her. "Commander, my name wasn't called for a placement."

"Hmm. Emma Wesson. Your flight clearance has been removed. That's strange." The woman leaned toward the information peering at it carefully, as if advancing on the screen would make the answer to Emma's question more apparent. "You're not going any where cadet. Lieutenant Commander Mulhall has restricted your clearance to Terra. I'm sorry cadet, your file doesn't say any more than that."

_'What a bitch.'_ Andre shook his head putting his hand on Emma's shoulder as they watched the woman march away to other duties.

_'Don't say that, Mulhall must have her reasons.' _Emma sighed. _'I'd better go find her. Have fun up there!' _

Twilight was dwindling through the open end of the hangar and Emma wanted to find out why exactly Mulhall had removed her clearance. Moving past the rows of marching cadets and ship personnel back towards campus she spotted a defeated looking Kirk.

"What's up?"

"I had my wings clipped. Academic suspension. They won't let me fly until after a decision has been made by the academy board. You?"

"Mulhall. Put a hold on my file. I'm on my way to find her."

"Ah, a valkyrie after my own heart."

"I didn't know you were such a poet Jim. What is up with men liking excessively domineering women anyway lately?" Emma rolled her eyes at him, at least he looked a little cheered compared to when she first saw him. She was just about to turn away when she was grabbed by the elbow and steered toward a med station in the hangar.

"Come with me, you two." McCoy moved them into the small room releasing his grip on them.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm doing you both a favour, couldn't just leave you both there looking pathetic. Now take a seat." He shuffled through some vials on the side table. "I'm giving you a vaccination for viral infection against Melvaran mud fleas."

"Ow! What for!?" Kirk yelped in pain as Bones jabbed the hypo into his neck, turning to Emma she held up her hands around her neck and jumped away.

"Oh no you don't, not me. I don't need to go up that badly. Besides, I have to go find Mulhall. If I went awol she would commandeer a ship to find me, probably. Or hire the Syndicate to hunt me down. You have fun with that Kirk. Take care McCoy."

"Huh?! Fun? What is she talking about Bones?"

"You're gonna get symptoms. Lose vision in your right eye..."

The sounds of the two bickering men faded behind Emma as she left the med station. Noting that more that three quarters of the shuttles had left, Emma set her mouth in a grim line to find Mulhall.

She arrived at the lecture hall just to watch the last ship leave hangar one. Lingering a minute in the doorway she wished a safe return to all of her friends, most of them were aboard the Enterprise. Emma found Mulhall in her lab, working on the same DNA sequence that she had been earlier.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get back here and get to work." Mulhall was programming a machine to synthesize a DNA structure which could bond to their wheat sample. "You'll have next year, you know. No use pouting about it now." Emma hadn't noticed that her lower lip was indeed sticking out further than usual, and she abruptly sucked it back in.

"Here, look at this." Emma walked over to the synthesizer to hand Mulhall her adjusted DNA sequence. "I think I have been able to effectively bind the two together through the use of the original mRNA splicing the wheat with another strain found in the Vega VII system. A planet there has a grain variety which grows well in lower gravity."

"Mmm… this is brilliant!" Mulhall quickly inputted the data to the machine. "A few of my own tweaks and I'd say we are ready to move on to test samples. I knew I kept you around for a reason. Better get yourself some coffee; we have a long night of cooking these babies up for trial. I've got some whisky stashed in my desk, so help yourself if you want to add a nip to your drink." She lifted her cup in approval of Emma's hard work and took a generous sip.

"Thanks Ann. I think I'll need it. I'm not that disappointed you know. I always have next year. It is more important to help feed the Venus colony."

"While the job isn't as flashy as being aboard a starship," Mulhall gesticulated rudely to indicate just what she thought about being aboard a starship, "it is just as important. Without the research teams and scientists to make use of what we find, there would be little purpose to our interstellar exploration. Besides, I've only got one more year with you, if what your dossier is telling me is true. I was thinking I should fail you in Advanced Comparative Xenobiology. Then you'd have to stick around." Mulhall nodded smugly to herself, as if she had just solved a very big problem very quickly.

"But then who could you trust not to have their thumb up their ass in space? You need an inside woman to judge what is important enough to be sent back for research to the lab." Mulhall laughed out loud.

"You know girl; you're starting to sound just like me after two years."

"Oh hell. That's comforting." Emma grinned at Mulhall.

The crew aboard the Enterprise was sombre, all vestigial traces of excitement removed by one fell swoop of Nero's hand. He had destroyed Vulcan in front of the crew's very eyes; murdered thousands of innocent Vulcan's and Starfleet members in mere moments. Among those who would be mourned were Captain Pike and the newly appointed Captain Spock's mother. And now Nero was on his way to perform the same heinous act on Earth. No crew could withstand that much defeat and not feel like failures.

_Acting Captains log Star date 2258.42. We have had no word from Captain Pike and therefore have classified him as a hostage of the war criminal known as Nero. Nero who has destroyed my home planet and most of it's six billion inhabitants. While the essence of our culture has been saved in the elders who now reside upon this ship, I estimate no more than ten thousand have survived. I am now a member of an endangered species._

Spock stood abruptly at the end of his log entry and entered the turbo lift, needing to remove his presence from the company of others. He was finding it increasingly difficult to manage his emotions after witnessing the death of his mother and total annihilation of his home planet. Logic dictated that he must continue with leading the crew of the ship, as was his duty as the appointed captain. However, he knew that if he did not keep himself busy to move his thoughts he would not be able to stave off the rage that was eating away at his edges, and they could not afford a berserk Vulcan on the ship, especially one who was supposed to be the acting captain. Turning around he was not surprised to see Uhura entering the lift from behind him, he had determined her intent the moment that she had stood and left her station on the bridge. She leaned across the lift and stopped the shuttle.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She leaned forward to press a tentative kiss to his lips. When he didn't push her away she continued to his cheek and then held him, running her hand through his hair to soothe the distress that she could sense in him. Though Vulcan's were notoriously hard to read, Uhura and Spock had been dating for well over the past year, and she had found it increasingly easy to tell his moods apart.

Allowing a minute of vulnerability, something he had understood Uhura needed from him at this time to acknowledge her feelings, Spock pressed his face into her shoulder and held her tightly back. He wished with all of his heart that, at this moment, they could have been bonded. He needed to share with her all of the rage, despair, loneliness, and confusion he felt. This thought surprised him, and also thrilled him somewhat. Spock had never wished for a bondmate before in his life, and now recognized that Uhura spurred those feelings in him. His fingers dug into her soft skin, holding her tighter.

"What do you need? Tell me." She pulled away from the embrace searching his eyes for a crack, a weakness to show that she could help him. "Tell me."

Spock attempted to reach out to Uhura's conscious through their touch. He could only feel faint wisps though, not enough for emotional or telepathic transference. Strange, it was commonplace for Vulcan's to be able to easily transmit through touch, in fact it was the reason they shied away from touch. But Spock found he was unable to reach Uhura in the way that would have been most meaningful to him. What he needed was another Vulcan to mourn with; one whom he could share with his emotions and thoughts with to help calm each other; someone who understood him more completely. Spock didn't have the energy to meld with her at that moment, and he was unsure if her mind would have been able to withstand the pressure of the meld due to the intensity of his feelings. He didn't want to injure her either. Slightly disappointed in his decision to reserve the mind meld and their lack of communication, Spock leaned to the side and pressed the button to continue the turbo lifts descent.

"I need everyone, to continue performing admirably." His face disclosed none of the roiling emotions within him, but his voice did not want to cooperate with his desire to speak evenly. It broke slightly as he was responding.

"Okay." Uhura responded quietly, clearly disappointed. She couldn't understand Spock's lack of confidence in her when he was clearly emotionally compromised. She wanted to be there for him, needed him to talk and share with her what he was feeling so that she could help. Uhura kissed him again twice, to reassure him that she would listen when he was ready to talk, to reassure herself that he still cared for him. His detached demeanour did not comfort her, so she decided she would back off and wait for him to come to her when he was ready; she didn't have any other choice.

The lift doors opened and Spock stepped away from her, brusquely walking into the hall and continuing with his duties. He could sense that Uhura's presence did help calm him somewhat, but he would need to speak with his father if he were to find full inner peace. Uhura watched his retreating back feeling heartbroken for him. She fervently hoped that this would only serve to bring them closer together and not further apart; Spock needed space to sort though his feelings logically.

On Terra, Ann Mulhall and Emma Wesson were closing the lab for the night after having been successful in their work. They celebrated together for a half hour before deciding to head to sleep.

"I think you might be trouble when you drink, hic…" Mulhall mumbled as Emma squint one eye to punch the lock code on the door.

"You'd be surprised how often I get that."

"Nope. Not one bit surprised actually. I feel exhausted, but accomplished." Mulhall smiled as she disengaged herself from the wall and shuffled with Emma from the building. It was currently 03:00; they had been cooped up in the lab for the last six hours. Both women parted ways at the entrance to the building.

Emma felt light, lighter than she had in weeks. She'd finished Mulhall's research early and could go back to focusing solely on her course work. It was worth it not to have gone out on the rescue mission to stay back and complete what she had suffered working on over the last month. The dorm was eerily quiet as she boarded the lift to take her to her room, almost foreboding. There might have been a handful of cadets without flight clearance, but if they were in the dorms Emma did not sense them. Entering her room she didn't even bother to remove her uniform as she flung herself on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

A message marked important was flashing on her personal PADD, left behind in her school bag. It contained information pertaining to the remaining students and staff on campus:

Due to the destruction of the Vulcan home planet, many of the refugees will be staying on campus as the embassy in San Francisco could not host the entire assembly. We at Starfleet have also lost the lives of many today, the distress call from Vulcan turned into a massacre. Five of six of the ships were destroyed, with only a fraction of our people managing to survive. We are currently utilizing all of our resources to reclaim our personnel, dead or alive. Within six hours be prepared to receive the guests and any incoming personnel. Assistance of all remaining personnel on campus will be needed in the wake of this tragedy. Classes will be cancelled until further notified. Please report to the mess hall to receive further directives at 09:00 hours.


End file.
